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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Even though their long-shot hopes of winning the NFC North have vanished, the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers believe they can make a legitimate run at their first Super Bowl appearance since their 2010 championship season. A rapidly improving defense gives them ample reason for confidence. The Packers (11-4) followed up a seven-sack performance in a 30-13 victory at Seattle by producing the first shutout of the NFL season, a 34-0 playoff-clinching blowout of the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Green Bay delivered its first shutout since a 17-0 triumph over Seattle in 2021 and its most lopsided victory since a 55-14 rout of the Chicago Bears in 2014. “We’ve noticed all along that the defense is a lot different this year, and they’ve been making some big-time plays all along,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “But any time you can hold anybody to zero points in the National Football League is pretty awesome.” The Packers were seeking to produce a championship-caliber defense to go along with their dynamic offense when they fired Joe Barry as coordinator in the offseason and brought in former Boston College coach Jeff Hafley to replace him. Green Bay switched from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3, with Hafley emphasizing the need to produce more big plays. Green Bay has done just that by collecting 28 takeaways — 10 more than it had all of last year — to match the NFL’s third-highest total. The Packers haven’t forced this many turnovers since 2011, when they had 38 takeaways. That’s not the only area in which the defense has made strides. Green Bay is allowing just 19.1 points per game to rank sixth in the league in scoring defense. The Packers haven’t finished a season among the top six teams in scoring defense since their 2010 title run, when they yielded just 15 points per game to rank second. The Packers are giving up 312.1 yards per game for the league’s seventh-best total. That also puts them on pace for their highest season-ending rank since 2010, when they finished fifth in total defense. “We’re all working together, and we’ve just got some nice playmakers,” linebacker and rookie second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper said. The Packers have given up as many as 20 points just once in their last six games, a 34-31 defeat at Detroit on Dec. 5. That is the only time Green Bay has lost during that stretch. Whether this kind of success can carry over to the playoffs remains uncertain. The Packers’ shutout performance came against a New Orleans offense that was starting rookie fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler at quarterback in place of the injured Derek Carr and was missing five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara. Green Bay’s defense faces a much tougher task Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings (13-2), who beat the Packers 31-29 at Lambeau Field on Sept. 29. This will mark the first time in the series' 64-year history that both teams had at least 11 wins when they face off. The Packers are eager to see what they can do against another team headed for the playoffs as their defense gears up for another postseason. “We can do whatever we want to do,” defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. “We write our own story at the end of the day. We’ve just got to keep on building.” What’s working Green Bay outrushed New Orleans 188-67 and improved its season total to 2,209 yards rushing. The Packers haven't rushed for that many yards in a season since 2003, when they had 2,558. ... The pass rush has produced 16 sacks over Green Bay’s last four games. ... Green Bay is outscoring teams 102-34 in the first quarter. ... The Packers didn't give up a sack Monday and have allowed just five over their last eight games. That represents the fewest sacks the Packers have given up over an eight-game stretch within a single season since 2004. What needs work Penalties remain a bit of an issue. The Packers were penalized six times for 60 yards. Stock up Love has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception over his last five games. ... RB Josh Jacobs has run for a touchdown in six straight games. His 13 TD runs this season are a career high. ... K Brandon McManus made field goals from 55 and 46 yards to improve to 16 of 17 this season. His 55-yarder was a season long. ... S Zayne Anderson had his first career interception in his first career start. ... DL Brenton Cox Jr. has three sacks over his last four games. Stock down There really aren't any candidates for this category, considering the Packers produced their biggest victory margin in a decade. Injuries WR Christian Watson injured a knee Monday night. ... CB Jaire Alexander (knee) missed a fifth straight game. S Javon Bullard (ankle), S Evan Williams (quadriceps) and LB Quay Walker (ankle) also didn’t play. Key number 30 – The Packers have scored at least 30 points in each of their last five games. That represents the second-longest string of games with 30-plus points in franchise history. Green Bay had seven such straight games in 1963. Next steps The Packers close the regular season with two divisional games, visiting Minnesota on Sunday before hosting the Bears (4-11). Green Bay is 1-3 against NFC North opponents this season. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Steve Megargee, The Associated PressThe United States is closely monitoring Syria's chemical weapons stockpile following the rapid fall of the Assad regime and views the issue as a "top-tier" priority in the region, according to a senior Biden administration official. The U.S. is focused on ensuring that Syria's chemical weapons don't fall into the wrong hands after the collapse over the weekend of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's decades-long rule, the official said. "We are doing everything we can to prudently ensure that those materials are either not available to anyone or are cared for," the official said Sunday, speaking on background to brief reporters on the latest developments in Syria. National security experts are "fairly confident" that Syria's chemical weapons stockpile can be "destroyed" or secured, the official added. The senior administration official did not provide further details, but said the Biden administration isn't planning to send U.S. troops into Syria to secure or destroy chemical weapons held by the former Assad regime. The extent of the regime's chemical weapons stockpile is unclear. Assad's government used chemical weapons multiple times against rebel groups and Syrian civilians during the nation's ongoing 13-year civil war. U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly closely monitored Syria's chemical weapons storage facilities in recent days as rebel groups made a lightning-fast push to topple the Assad regime. Opposition groups moved into the capital Damascus overnight on Saturday in a stunning turn of events after a yearslong stalemate in the war. The development threatened to further destabilize a region already mired in fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Assad fled Syria on Saturday, arrived in Moscow on Sunday and was granted political asylum by the Russian government, according to Russian news agency Tass. Russia and Iran had helped prop up Assad throughout the conflict, serving as powerful proxy forces in a war with an estimated death toll of more than 500,000 people. Millions more have been displaced since the war started in 2011. President Joe Biden on Sunday addressed the situation in Syria, saying the U.S. government would seek to ensure Syria's stability after Assad's ouster. He also issued a warning to rebel groups who fought to take control of the country. "Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses," Biden said in remarks from the White House. Biden said the U.S. would not let ISIS or other terrorist groups gain a new foothold in the country with Assad out of power.

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Amanda Hernández | (TNS) Stateline.org CHICAGO — Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. “There is this sense of brazenness that people have — they can just walk in and steal stuff. ... That hurts the consumer, and it hurts the company,” said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, in an interview. “That’s just the world we live in,” he said. “We need to get people to realize that you have to obey the law.” At least eight states — Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Vermont — passed a total of 14 bills in 2024 aimed at tackling retail theft, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The measures range from redefining retail crimes and adjusting penalties to allowing cross-county aggregation of theft charges and protecting retail workers. Major retailers have responded to rising theft since 2020 by locking up merchandise, upgrading security cameras, hiring private security firms and even closing stores. Still, the report indicates that shoplifting remains a stubborn problem. In Chicago, the rate of reported shoplifting incidents remained below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023 — but surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period a year ago. Shoplifting in Los Angeles was 87% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Police reports of shoplifting from January to October 2024 were lower than in 2023. Los Angeles adopted a new crime reporting system in March 2024, which has likely led to an undercount, according to the report. In New York, shoplifting rose 48% from 2021 to 2022, then dipped slightly last year. Still, the shoplifting rate was 55% higher in 2023 than in 2019. This year, the shoplifting rate increased by 3% from January to September compared with the same period last year. While shoplifting rates tend to rise in November and December, which coincides with in-person holiday shopping, data from the Council on Criminal Justice’s sample of 23 U.S. cities shows higher rates in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. Researchers found it surprising that rates went up despite retailers doing more to fight shoplifting. Experts say the spike might reflect improved reporting efforts rather than a spike in theft. “As retailers have been paying more attention to shoplifting, we would not expect the numbers to increase,” said Ernesto Lopez, the report’s author and a senior research specialist with the council. “It makes it a challenge to understand the trends of shoplifting.” In downtown Chicago on a recent early afternoon, potential shoppers shuffled through the streets and nearby malls, browsing for gifts ahead of the holidays. Edward Johnson, a guard at The Shops at North Bridge, said that malls have become quieter in the dozen or so years he has worked in mall security, with the rise of online retailers. As for shoplifters, Johnson said there isn’t a single type of person to look out for — they can come from any background. “I think good-hearted people see something they can’t afford and figure nothing is lost if they take something from the store,” Johnson said as he patrolled the mall, keeping an eye out for lost or suspicious items. Between 2018 and 2023, most shoplifting in Chicago was reported in the downtown area, as well as in the Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, according to a separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice. Newly sworn-in Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke this month lowered the threshold for charging retail theft as a felony in the county, which includes Chicago, from $1,000 to $300, aligning it with state law. “It sends a signal that she’s taking it seriously,” Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told Stateline. Nationally, retailers are worried about organized theft. The National Retail Federation’s latest report attributed 36% of the $112.1 billion in lost merchandise in 2022 to “external theft,” which includes organized retail crime. Organized retail crime typically involves coordinated efforts by groups to steal items with the intent to resell them for a profit. Commonly targeted goods include high-demand items such as baby formula, laundry detergent and electronics. The same report found that retailers’ fear of violence associated with theft also is on the rise, with more retailers taking a “hands-off approach.” More than 41% of respondents to the organization’s 2023 survey, up from 38% in 2022, reported that no employee is authorized to try and stop a shoplifter. (The federation’s reporting has come under criticism. It retracted a claim last year that attributed nearly half of lost merchandise in 2021 to organized retail crime; such theft accounted for only about 5%. The group announced this fall it will no longer publish its reports on lost merchandise.) Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills into law in August aimed at addressing retail theft. These measures make repeated theft convictions a felony, allow aggregation of crimes across multiple counties to be charged as a single felony, and permit police to arrest suspects for retail theft even if the crime wasn’t witnessed directly by an officer. In September, Newsom signed an additional bill that imposes steeper felony penalties for large-scale theft offenses. California voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that increases penalties for specific drug-related and theft crimes. Under the new law, people who are convicted of theft at least twice may face felony charges on their third offense, regardless of the stolen item’s value. “With these changes in the law, really it comes down to making sure that law enforcement is showing up to our stores in a timely manner, and that the prosecutors and the [district attorneys] are prosecuting,” Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, told Stateline. “That’s the only way we’re going to deter retail theft in our communities.” In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Better, more thorough reporting from retailers is essential to truly understanding shoplifting trends and its full impact, in part because some retail-related crimes, such as gift card fraud, are frequently underreported, according to Lopez, of the Council on Criminal Justice. Measuring crime across jurisdictions is notoriously difficult , and the council does not track organized retail theft specifically because law enforcement typically doesn’t identify it as such at the time of arrest — if an arrest even occurs — requiring further investigation, Lopez said. The council’s latest report found conflicting trends in the FBI’s national crime reporting systems. The FBI’s older system, the Summary Reporting System, known as SRS, suggests that reported shoplifting hadn’t gone up through 2023, remaining on par with 2019 levels. In contrast, the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, shows a 93% increase in shoplifting over the same period. The discrepancy may stem from the type of law enforcement agencies that have adopted the latter system, Lopez said. Some of those communities may have higher levels of shoplifting or other types of property crime, which could be what is driving the spike, Lopez said. Despite the discrepancies and varying levels of shoplifting across the country, Lopez said, it’s important for retailers to report these incidents, as doing so could help allocate law enforcement resources more effectively. “All law enforcement agencies have limited resources, and having the most accurate information allows for not just better policy, but also better implementation — better use of strategic resources,” Lopez said. Stateline staff writer Robbie Sequeira contributed to this report. ©2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.As we enter the holiday shopping season with too-good-to-be-true deals, particularly with high-traffic days like Christmas, cybercriminals are primed to exploit shoppers' excitement for deals. In today's world of AI-driven phishing scams, if impeccable grammar and flawless writing are enough to bypass your email filter and fool your defenses, then you might already be at a disadvantage. These sophisticated scams are now operating at lightning speed, outpacing even your coffee machine on a hectic Monday morning! They've got grammar, style and charm — pretty soon, they'll know your Starbucks order too. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Global Tensions and Movements in Politics and Defense

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A new artificial intelligence (AI) model has just achieved human-level results on a test designed to measure "general intelligence". On December 20, OpenAI's o3 system scored 85% on the ARC-AGI benchmark , well above the previous AI best score of 55% and on par with the average human score. It also scored well on a very difficult mathematics test. Creating artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is the stated goal of all the major AI research labs. At first glance, OpenAI appears to have at least made a significant step towards this goal. While scepticism remains, many AI researchers and developers feel something just changed. For many, the prospect of AGI now seems more real, urgent and closer than anticipated. Are they right? Related Generalization and intelligence To understand what the o3 result means, you need to understand what the ARC-AGI test is all about. In technical terms, it's a test of an AI system's "sample efficiency" in adapting to something new - how many examples of a novel situation the system needs to see to figure out how it works. An AI system like ChatGPT (GPT-4) is not very sample efficient. It was "trained" on millions of examples of human text, constructing probabilistic "rules" about which combinations of words are most likely. The result is pretty good at common tasks. It is bad at uncommon tasks, because it has less data (fewer samples) about those tasks. Until AI systems can learn from small numbers of examples and adapt with more sample efficiency, they will only be used for very repetitive jobs and ones where the occasional failure is tolerable. The ability to accurately solve previously unknown or novel problems from limited samples of data is known as the capacity to generalise. It is widely considered a necessary, even fundamental, element of intelligence. Grids and patterns The ARC-AGI benchmark tests for sample efficient adaptation using little grid square problems like the one below. The AI needs to figure out the pattern that turns the grid on the left into the grid on the right. Each question gives three examples to learn from. The AI system then needs to figure out the rules that "generalise" from the three examples to the fourth. These are a lot like the IQ tests sometimes you might remember from school. Weak rules and adaptation We don't know exactly how OpenAI has done it, but the results suggest the o3 model is highly adaptable. From just a few examples, it finds rules that can be generalised. To figure out a pattern, we shouldn't make any unnecessary assumptions, or be more specific than we really have to be. In theory , if you can identify the "weakest" rules that do what you want, then you have maximised your ability to adapt to new situations. What do we mean by the weakest rules? The technical definition is complicated, but weaker rules are usually ones that can be described in simpler statements . In the example above, a plain English expression of the rule might be something like: "Any shape with a protruding line will move to the end of that line and 'cover up' any other shapes it overlaps with." Searching chains of thought? While we don't know how OpenAI achieved this result just yet, it seems unlikely they deliberately optimised the o3 system to find weak rules. However, to succeed at the ARC-AGI tasks it must be finding them. We do know that OpenAI started with a general-purpose version of the o3 model (which differs from most other models, because it can spend more time "thinking" about difficult questions) and then trained it specifically for the ARC-AGI test. French AI researcher Francois Chollet, who designed the benchmark, believes o3 searches through different "chains of thought" describing steps to solve the task. It would then choose the "best" according to some loosely defined rule, or "heuristic". This would be "not dissimilar" to how Google 's AlphaGo system searched through different possible sequences of moves to beat the world Go champion. You can think of these chains of thought like programs that fit the examples. Of course, if it is like the Go-playing AI, then it needs a heuristic, or loose rule, to decide which program is best. There could be thousands of different seemingly equally valid programs generated. That heuristic could be "choose the weakest" or "choose the simplest". However, if it is like AlphaGo then they simply had an AI create a heuristic. This was the process for AlphaGo. Google trained a model to rate different sequences of moves as better or worse than others. What we still don't know The question then is, is this really closer to AGI? If that is how o3 works, then the underlying model might not be much better than previous models. The concepts the model learns from language might not be any more suitable for generalisation than before. Instead, we may just be seeing a more generalisable "chain of thought" found through the extra steps of training a heuristic specialised to this test. The proof, as always, will be in the pudding. Almost everything about o3 remains unknown. OpenAI has limited disclosure to a few media presentations and early testing to a handful of researchers, laboratories and AI safety institutions. Truly understanding the potential of o3 will require extensive work, including evaluations, an understanding of the distribution of its capacities, how often it fails and how often it succeeds. When o3 is finally released, we'll have a much better idea of whether it is approximately as adaptable as an average human. If so, it could have a huge, revolutionary, economic impact, ushering in a new era of self-improving accelerated intelligence. We will require new benchmarks for AGI itself and serious consideration of how it ought to be governed. If not, then this will still be an impressive result. However, everyday life will remain much the same. Michael Timothy Bennett is a PhD Student at School of Computing, Australian National University and Elija Perrier is a Research Fellow at Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, Stanford University . This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article . An AI system has reached human level on a test for 'general intelligence'. Here's what that means

New shoplifting data explains why they’re locking up the toothpaste

In a recent SEC filing, it was revealed that Jennifer L McDonough , EVP at Nordson NDSN , made a noteworthy insider purchase on December 23,. What Happened: In a Form 4 filing on Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission , it was disclosed that McDonough bought 1,722 shares of Nordson, amounting to a total of $361,155. Nordson shares are trading up 0.81% at $211.0 at the time of this writing on Tuesday morning. About Nordson Nordson manufactures equipment (including pumps, valves, dispensers, applicators, filters, and pelletizers) used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, and other materials. The firm serves a diverse range of end markets including packaging, medical, electronics, and industrial. Nordson's business is organized into three segments: industrial precision solutions, medical and fluid solutions, and advanced technology solutions. The company generated approximately $2.7 billion in revenue in its fiscal 2024. Nordson's Financial Performance Positive Revenue Trend: Examining Nordson's financials over 3 months reveals a positive narrative. The company achieved a noteworthy revenue growth rate of 12.53% as of 31 October, 2024, showcasing a substantial increase in top-line earnings. As compared to its peers, the company achieved a growth rate higher than the average among peers in Industrials sector. Insights into Profitability: Gross Margin: The company excels with a remarkable gross margin of 54.11% , indicating superior cost efficiency and profitability compared to its industry peers. Earnings per Share (EPS): Nordson's EPS is a standout, portraying a positive bottom-line trend that exceeds the industry average with a current EPS of 2.14 . Debt Management: With a high debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75 , Nordson faces challenges in effectively managing its debt levels, indicating potential financial strain. Exploring Valuation Metrics Landscape: Price to Earnings (P/E) Ratio: Nordson's P/E ratio of 25.81 is below the industry average, suggesting the stock may be undervalued. Price to Sales (P/S) Ratio: With a higher-than-average P/S ratio of 4.48 , Nordson's stock is perceived as being overvalued in the market, particularly in relation to sales performance. EV/EBITDA Analysis (Enterprise Value to its Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization): A high EV/EBITDA ratio of 17.44 positions the company as being more valued compared to industry benchmarks. Market Capitalization: Indicating a reduced size compared to industry averages, the company's market capitalization poses unique challenges. Now trade stocks online commission free with Charles Schwab, a trusted and complete investment firm. Understanding the Significance of Insider Transactions Emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach, considering insider transactions is valuable, but it's crucial to evaluate them in conjunction with other investment factors. In the context of legal matters, the term "insider" refers to any officer, director, or beneficial owner holding more than ten percent of a company's equity securities, as outlined by Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This includes executives in the c-suite and significant hedge funds. Such insiders are obligated to report their transactions through a Form 4 filing, which must be completed within two business days of the transaction. Pointing towards optimism, a company insider's new purchase signals their positive anticipation for the stock to rise. Despite insider sells not always signaling a bearish sentiment, they can be driven by various factors. Cracking Transaction Codes Taking a closer look at transactions, investors often prioritize those unfolding in the open market, meticulously cataloged in Table I of the Form 4 filing. A P in Box 3 denotes a purchase, while S signifies a sale. Transaction code C denotes the conversion of an option, and transaction code A signifies a grant, award, or other acquisition of securities from the company. Check Out The Full List Of Nordson's Insider Trades. Insider Buying Alert: Profit from C-Suite Moves Benzinga Edge reveals every insider trade in real-time. Don't miss the next big stock move driven by insider confidence. Unlock this ultimate sentiment indicator now. Click here for access . This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer Jim McNally and late Buffalo Bills running backs coach Elijah Pitts are recipients of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Awards of Excellence, it was announced Tuesday. Offensive line coach Jim McNally, shown in the locker room at his alma mater, the University at Buffalo, in 2005. It’s a career accomplishment created by the football shrine in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game in “behind-the-scenes” roles. In addition to assistant coaches, Awards of Excellence are given annually to selected public relations personnel, athletic trainers, equipment managers and film/video directors. McNally and Pitts are joined as coaching honorees by Dick Hoak, longtime running backs coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Upon Further Review: Cam Lewis gets personal retribution with first career interception in Bills' win McNally, 81, played and coached at the University at Buffalo and then spent 43 seasons in the NFL, becoming a legend among offensive line coaches. McNally entered the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1980. He stayed there until 1994, reaching two Super Bowls and mentoring future Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz for all 13 of his seasons. Known by friends and colleagues as "Mouse," McNally had stints with the Carolina Panthers (1995-98), the New York Giants (1999-2003) and the Bills (2004-07). Then he served as a consultant with New Orleans for two years, the New York Jets for two years and then the Bengals for a dozen years before his “second retirement” in 2023. “I think it is satisfying partly because most of the people who’ve gotten recognized on the offensive line have been on Super Bowl winners,” McNally said from his home in Orchard Park. “I was on four Super Bowl teams, three with the Bengals and one with the Giants, and the teams didn’t win. So I think it has something to say about my contribution to the football world, whether it’s high school coaches, college coaches.” Besides his famed work for NFL teams, McNally has given coaching clinics across the country for decades, spreading his knowledge and serving as somewhat of a goodwill ambassador for offensive line play at all levels. He still spreads his knowledge with posts on O-line techniques on the social media platform X, where he has 23,000 followers. There will be a dinner in late June in Canton, Ohio, to honor the Awards of Excellence recipients. Pitts, who died at age 60 in 1998, was a five-time NFL champion as a running back for the Green Bay Packers. He served 24 years as an NFL assistant coach, starting under head coach Chuck Knox with the Rams in 1974. Pitts moved with Knox to the Bills from 1978 to 1980, then coached Hall of Famer Earl Campbell with the Oilers for two years. Pitts worked under Marv Levy as Bills running backs coach from 1985 to 1997. He was assistant head coach from 1992 to 1997. Pitts played a big role in mentoring Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas. Sent weekly directly to your inbox!